2017 NFL Draft - Pro Football Rumors

Redskins Shopping RB Matt Jones

April 28th, 2017 at 8:08am CST by Zachary Links

The Redskins are shopping running back Matt Jones, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Redskins are likely to add another running back this weekend and that would squeeze Jones out of the picture.

The former third round pick has had flashes of brilliance in the past, but he has not been able to produce consistently. Jones’ struggles with ball security turned him from a rising star to an afterthought and he’s now likely on his way out of D.C. Still, another team might want to kick the tires on Jones based on his potential and inexpensive salary. He’s signed through the 2018 campaign with base salaries under $800K.

Last year, Jones had a pair of 100+ yard games. On October 2, Jones had 22 carries for 117 yards and one touchdown against Cleveland. Then, on October 16, he had 135 yards off of 16 carries and also added a rushing touchdown. The following week, he suffered a knee injury and that opened the door for Robert Kelley to take his starting gig. Even though he returned to full health, he did not see the field for the rest of the season.

49ers Acquire No. 31 Pick From Seahawks

April 27th, 2017 at 10:36pm CST by Zachary Links

Who says you can’t trade within your division? The 49ers have acquired the No. 31 pick from the Seahawks. With that pick, they will select Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster. The Seahawks will receive pick Nos. 34 and No. 111 in the deal.

Foster, at one point in time, was viewed as a top ten pick. However, his stock tumbled due to a handful of red flags.

Red flag #1: Bad shoulder.
Red flag #2: Getting into an argument with a hospital worker at the combine.
Red flag #3: Submitting a watered down urine sample at the combine.

Still, he is immensely talented. If he stays on the right track, Foster could prove to be one of the best values in the entire 2017 draft.

Our first mock draft had Foster going to the 49ers within the top ten. It took a little longer, but Foster has landed in San Francisco.

Browns Acquire No. 29 Pick From Packers

April 27th, 2017 at 10:19pm CST by Zachary Links

The Browns have acquired the No. 29 pick from the Packers. The Packers will receive pick Nos. 33 and 108. With the pick, the Browns are taking tight end David Njoku.

Tonight, the Browns dialed the Redskins to ask about Kirk Cousins and they missed multiple opportunities to take some of this year’s best signal callers. They could have used this pick to nab a quarterback like DeShone Kizer of Notre Dame, but they opted for Njoku instead.

Heading into the draft, many pegged Njoku as the second best tight end in this year’s class. It turns out that he’s the third tight end to come off of the board after O.J. Howard went to the Buccaneers and the Giants selected Evan Engram.

The No. 29 pick will be the Browns’ third first round selection of the evening. Already, they have taken Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett and Michigan utility man Jabrill Peppers.

Falcons Trade Up To Seahawks’ No. 26 Pick

April 27th, 2017 at 10:16pm CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons traded up to the Seahawks’ No. 26 pick. With the pick, they have selected UCLA linebacker/defensive end Takkarist McKinley. The Seahawks will receive Atlanta’s No. 31 pick plus third and seventh round choices.

McKinley came into the draft process with tons of hype but his stock has fallen somewhat in recent weeks. Some teams may have cooled on the pass rusher, but the Falcons are as excited about him as ever.

McKinley may slot in as a starting defensive end opposite of Adrian Clayborn. Currently, it’s something of a full house at linebacker with Vic Beasley, Deion Jones, and De’Vondre Campbell as likely starters.

Raiders Draft Gareon Conley

April 27th, 2017 at 9:58pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders have selected cornerback Gareon Conley with the No. 24 pick. Conley, once thought to have top ten potential, had everything thrown into flux this week when a woman accused him of sexual assault.

After the allegations came to light on Tuesday, teams worked tirelessly to get to the bottom of what happened between Conley and a young woman in his Cleveland hotel room. After investigating, the Raiders obviously felt that there was no serious wrongdoing on the part of the Ohio State cornerback.

There was talk this week that Conley would not be drafted at all or perhaps would slip to the third round. He is surely breathing a sigh of relief after being taken by the Raiders late in the first round.

Conley will likely supplant David Amerson as the team’s No. 2 cornerback. With Sean Smith and Conley, the Raiders have themselves a solid duo.

Falcons, 49ers Looking To Trade Up

April 27th, 2017 at 9:48pm CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons and 49ers are looking to trade up, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The 49ers, unsuccessfully, tried to pry the No. 21 pick from the Lions just moments ago. If the Falcons go pass rusher, the names to remember are Taco Charlton, Tarell Basham, or Jordan Willis, Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com tweets.

With 22 picks in the books, other notable names remain on the board including Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster, FSU running back Dalvin Cook, UCLA linebacker Takkarist McKinley, and embattled Ohio State cornerback Gareon Conley.

Inside linebacker is a need for the Niners, so they could potentially be looking to move up for Foster. McKinley would be a good fit for Atlanta as they seek a pass rusher that isn’t among the three listed by Pauline.

Broncos Tried To Trade Up For Christian McCaffrey

April 27th, 2017 at 9:36pm CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos tried to make a legacy pick tonight. They explored moving up from No. 20 to land running back Christian McCaffrey, but they were ultimately unsuccessful, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Broncos also inquired about Joe Thomas‘ availability, but they wound up staying at No. 20 and drafting Garett Bolles instead.

Thomas was a trade candidate as the deadline last year and many believed that he would be on the block this offseason. In December, coach Hue Jackson denied that Thomas would be shopped.

“That is not happening, OK? — or I am going with him,” Jackson said. “OK? I guarantee you that. I am going with him.”

Thomas is due to make a non-guaranteed $10MM salary in both ’17 and ’18, so teams like the Broncos were not necessarily warded off by his contract. Last year, he graded out as the league’s No. 8 offensive tackle, according to Pro Football Focus. The Broncos would have loved to add him, but they could not pry him away.

49ers, Two Other Teams Calling For Lions’ No. 21 Pick

April 27th, 2017 at 9:28pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions are set to pick at No. 21, but they might not actually make the selection. Three teams want that pick, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears, including the 49ers.

The Broncos are about to make their pick at No. 20 and plenty of big names remain on the board. Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster, FSU running back Dalvin Cook, UCLA linebacker Takkarist McKinley, and many more remain available. Soon, we could see the Niners or another team move into the No. 21 pick to get one of those big names.

Earlier tonight, the 49ers moved back from No. 2 to the No. 3 pick and grabbed Stanford defensive lineman Solomon Thomas. In the deal, they added picks No. 67 and No. 111 this year plus a 2018 a third-round pick in 2018.

Redskins Draft Alabama DL Jonathan Allen

April 27th, 2017 at 9:16pm CST by Zachary Links

The Redskins have selected defensive lineman Jonathan Allen with the No. 17 overall pick. The Alabama product was regarded by many prognosticators as a top five talent in this year’s class.

Allen’s slide may have been tied to his medical situation. He is said to have two arthritic shoulders, though he says that he is currently symptom free.

“It’s not really a problem now,” Allen said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “But it might be a problem 15, 20 years down the road.”

Today we learned that the Redskins were high on Allen and were pondering a trade up to get him. Surprisingly, they were able to stand pat and land him.

As a senior, Allen had 69 tackles, including 16 tackles for a loss. He also had 10.5 sacks, nearly matching his 12 sack total from 2015.

Texans Acquire No. 12, Take Deshaun Watson

April 27th, 2017 at 8:33pm CST by Zachary Links

The Texans have acquired the No. 12 overall pick from the Browns. The Browns will receive the Texans’ No. 25 overall pick plus their 2018 first round pick. With the pick, the Texans have selected Clemson’s Deshaun Watson.

The Texans, of course, have been on the lookout for a quarterback and Watson could be the player to supplant Tom Savage as the starter in 2017. Watson has been criticized for having less accuracy than other QB prospects in this year’s class, but he has two years of solid football under his belt and he is the most athletic of the bunch.

The Browns now own both the Texans’ first and second round picks in next year’s draft. The Browns previously acquired Houston’s second round pick in the Brock Osweiler trade.

2017 NFL Draft News & Rumors